Embers and Envelopes
by SweetAria88
Summary: Problems with the Military in Central put Riza in a strange position...There is a plot to this, never you fear! ReadReview!
1. An Awkward Morning

Disclaimer: I don't own FMA. If I did the characters would do squicky things and it would be canon.

Chapter 1: An Awkward Morning

Riza Hawkeye shifted in her bed, ignoring the unfamiliar press of a body against hers. The body next to hers mimicked her movements, and eventually settled back with an arm looped around her waist. She smirked and looked at the alarm clock besides her bed. She was mentally programmed to wake up so early, and as made evident by a series of mornings, he wasn't.

5…4….3….2…1…

The alarm rang shrilly, and the body groaned loudly. "Ah, geez, turn the damn thing off, Riza!"

"Stop complaining, do you want to be late for work again?" She pushed him off her, and made a grab for the bathrobe at the end of the bed. He glared at her under a mass of bedsheets, several locks of blonde hair sticking out from under the sheets, as well as a pair of sparking cerulean eyes.

He watched her walk towards the bathroom, wrapped in the thin terry robe. At the doorway, she turned and leaned against the frame seductively, invitingly…and slammed it when he made to get out of the bed and join her.

Bitch.

Jean Havoc twisted in the bed, sheets tangled around his body. Her apartment wasn't much more inviting then the military dorms, and just as sterile. The only homelike touches were the heavy wooden furniture and several feminine items on top of the dressing-table; cosmetics, a jewelry box, and a small dish of hairpins.

He laid back in bed. At least her sheets were incredibly soft and relaxing. The woman had to have some luxuries, after all.

Black Hayate growled at the man in the bed and tugged at the sheets with his teeth. For some reason, he hadn't taken a liking to the 2nd lieutenant. Havoc groaned in annoyance. It was probably the comment about stir-fried puppy when Fuery had first found the animal.

Untangling himself from her bed, Havoc stumbled to the bottom drawer of Riza's wardrobe. He kept some extra clothes there, for their weekday rendezvous. Tugging on a pair of shorts, he glanced over his shoulder at the closed bedroom door and inched towards the window. Salvation, and a cigarette, were just mere feet away…

"Dammit, Jean!" Riza stalked across the room, slamming the window shut. "I told you countless times, no smoking in my apartment! Plus, what if someone saw you hanging half-naked out my window? My…my…" Riza searched for an appropriate word. "My relationship with you cannot be public knowledge! We could be publicly ridiculed, court-martialed, or worse! And as the Colonel's subordinates, do you know how badly this could reflect on him?"

Havoc turned to view Riza, drawn up to her full height, swaddled in a bathrobe, and trembling at the indignity of the current situation. He considered his options. He could fight her on it and sleep alone until she got over her hissy fit, or he could roll with it and apologize.

He chose the latter. Why ruin this beautiful morning, and have a shitty workday?

Havoc smirked, tucking his cigarette behind his ear and saluting to her. "Yes'm. No smoking in the apartment and no climbing naked out the windows."

Riza eyed him critically. "Good." Black Hayate crept up behind her and stood growling at the man before him. She smiled at her pup and gave him a pet before turning back to her wardrobe. "Get dressed, Havoc. You might be a lazy bastard but not on my watch. We have work today."

Hayate gave Havoc one last growl before dutifully following his master. Havoc glared at the back of the retreating puppy and suddenly he was really in the mood for some stir fry.

Riza glared as Havoc waltzed into the office an hour late, bearing a carton of cigarettes and a huge cup of black coffee.

"You're late, Second Lieutenant Havoc."

Havoc offered her as much as of an apologetic look as he could muster, which wasn't very convincing. After a night spent in her apartment, lacking nicotine, he could have stood outside, drinking coffee and smoking a whole pack.

Riza sighed. She hated dealing with Havoc at work the next day. He was usually an ass, and their discreet, need based relationship gave him the right to be her companion rather then her subordinate.

"There's a stack of files on your desk, take them down to the Records room and file them."

"Ah, c'mon Lieutenant—"

"And this time actually file them," she added. "Don't just throw them in a drawer and leave them for Private Sciezka to organize later!"

Havoc tried to match her glare and faltered. No way he could match those eyes. Taking the last swig of liquid from the dregs of his coffee cup, he gathered the armfuls of papers and stalked out.

Riza stretched in her seat as Hayate settled in at her feet under the desk. Back to business as usual.

Taking a sip from her own coffee, she considered Havoc. There was no outright love, more of a mutual respect. She cared for him, she supposed, as a friend, but not a significant other. She sighed and opened the flap of her satchel, pulling out a couple of folders and flipping open the first one.

"First Lieutenant!" Roy lazily hung out the door to his private office, beckoning her.

Riza groaned. What now? Did he forget how to spell his name or zip his pants? She supported her commander, no doubt, but sometimes he required help with the most trival things. Usually, she suspected, he called with pointless tasks just to annoy her.

She pushed back her chair and stood, arching her back and making a slightly frightening cracking sound. Black Hayate looked at her in concern, and watched her retreat towards the inner office.

Roy Mustang sat his desk, unread papers scattered over it, as well as pens, pencils, wrappers, and what suspiciously looked like the makings of a rather large rubber band ball. She offered her a smile, as she stood at attention and offered a salute.

"Lieutenant Hawkeye," Roy began. "I have a task for you this evening. I'm meeting Elizabeth for a date and I'll need a driver."

Riza started to tell him to call a cab, and then his eyes met hers, filled with unspoken meaning. Elizabeth.

"You do remember Elizabeth? Hot as hell, but she can be a real bitch." He watched for her, reaction, slightly amused.

"I remember Elizabeth," Riza said, forming her words carefully. There was something he wasn't telling her.

"Good. Tell Havoc to take the car and pick up Elizabeth and I at Wayland Square, she's going to meet me after work around seven tonight." Roy sat back in his chair, and he could practically see the tickings of her brain as she committed the details of the mission to memory: 7PM, Wayland Square, Havoc driving. "You know," he added as an afterthought, "I really hope she wears a miniskirt."

Riza resisted the urge to pull out her handgun and shoot him. Roy watched her fingers twitch, amused, before he turned back to the issue at hand. "Oh, and Lieutenant, I only have these files for you," he gestured to a short stack on his desk. "You can leave whenever you finish."

"Yes, sir." With a nod, she gathered her papers and turned to retreat. As she bent over his desk, Roy looked at her suspiciously. As she turned to walk out, he had to ask.

"First Lieutenant, what the hell is on your –" He was cut off by the door slamming.

Dammit. Well, he'd ask her tonight.

Colonel Roy Mustang had a mission for his team. An anonymous report on his desk informed him of an ongoing investigation in Central that he had neither approved nor been told. Military supplies had gone missing; weaponry, ammo, and sweep of missing silver State watches, stolen from state Alchemists all over East and Central. Someone, or a group, was hoarding a whole lot of artillery and a whole lot of alchemical power.

That's what didn't fit, to Roy. If they were taking the amplifying pocketwatches, they had to have an alchemist. A freelance alchemist, bitter from failing to become State? A group from within the military already, planning a mutiny?

Roy suspected the latter, especially considering the anonymous report on his desk had to have been delivered internally.

Well, tonight seemed to be as good a night as ever, especially if he got to see Hawkeye in civilian clothes.

"Maybe she'll take that advice and wear that miniskirt," he mused. Snickering to himself, he settled back in his chair and closed his eyes, preparing to do what he did best at work: sleep. "That'll be the day…"

Riza dropped the stack of files Roy gave her on her desk. The first few were pretty standard, and then she found something interesting.

Reading the first couple of pages, she scribbled some notes in the margins, and then paused. Something about the report seemed wrong. But she couldn't place it. She didn't remember that investigation, at all. Or even if their department had been involved with it.

"Er, Lieutenant?" Kaine Fuery looked down at her from the edge of her desk, both nervous and concerned at the concentrated look on her face. Riza snapped her head up to look at him, and he jumped back. "I just wanted to know…the papers you finished…can I take them down to Records? For Havoc to file?"

"What?" She looked down at the nearly-finished stack on her desk. "No, I'll take them myself after I finish these last few."

"Yes'm."

Riza turned her attention back to the papers at hand. She'd never heard of any missing military artillery. Flipping through the last couple pages, she found a note, scrawled in Roy's careless script:

"Lt. H –

There was never any investigation on missing artillery. Get Pvt. S to give you all military acquisition forms, as well as any forms submitted by commanding officers authorizing supply transfers.

Tell no one of this. Seems to be an internal job. Bring all data tonight."

Riza tried to wrap her head around this. And more importantly, what was Roy planning? She'd have to wait and see. Meanwhile, she might as well go inform Jean of their change of plans for the evening.

"Roy has another date?" Havoc groaned, cursing the luck of his superior.

"He's going on a date with Elizabeth. Remember, the shopkeep?" Riza tried to explain, exasperated.

"Eliza—" Havoc stopped short, realization dawning in his eyes. "Dammit!" He slammed his head against the filing cabinet as Riza watched, bemused. "He always gets my dates away from me!"

Riza patted his arm comfortingly. Anyone who'd overheard Havoc's outburst would be suspicious of nothing. She couldn't have asked for a better cover.

She perched on Sciezka's desk in the Records room, deep in thought. She hated the filling in the random roles Roy assigned her. The thick-framed glasses gave her a headache, and trying to hide her long blonde hair was a hassle. And a date? With Elizabeth? What the hell was Roy thinking?

Havoc regarded her critically, and dropped his tone to a more comforting level. "Hey…Riza?" He laid a hand on her arm, chewing on his cigarette butt. "Are you all right?" Secretly he hoped she was going to tell Roy to go fuck himself, she didn't want to play Elizabeth…but if Roy had a mission in mind, damned if Riza would say no.

Riza started and jerked her arm away, glaring daggers at the man. "I'm fine," she hissed, rising from the desk. "Damn it, where is Sciezka? Private Sciezka!"

The younger woman poked her head out of the storage room door. "Lieutenant Hawkeye! I'm so sorry, I was in the back pulling out some new files…" Riza offered the woman a smile as Sciezka rummaged through the files on her desk. "Is there anything you need?"

"Yes. I need all military supply acquisition forms for the last fiscal year."

Sciezka smiled at her, confused. "Whatever would you need those for? Usually the only people to ask for those are from the Financial Department."

Riza blinked. It was an honest question, but at the moment she resented the other woman's nosiness. Instantly a lie bloomed in her head. "The heads have been after Roy to make our department more cost-efficient. Between property damage and everything else, we're the most expensive division in the military!"

Sciezka laughed and turned away, flipping open a cabinet and thumbing through the files. "Hm…I think this is it." She withdrew a file heavier then a brick and twice as thick. Riza groaned. "You wanted all the files for the last year, haven't you?" Sciezka asked, fearing she misunderstood the task. "These are all of them…"

"Thank you, Private." Riza took the pile, amazed at the weight. "I'm sure Roy will be thrilled to read all this."

Havoc slammed the last drawer in the cabinet with an air of finality. "I'm going back to the office. I'm through playing secretary, I got my own paperwork to do."

Riza eyed him, annoyed. "Fine, go. Roy dismissed me early, I'm going home."

Havoc watched her turn on her heel, and stalk out of the room. God damned Colonel, being able to order Riza on a real date.

He chewed on his cigarette butt. Tonight was going to be interesting.


	2. Bad Timing

Disclaimer: I don't own FMA. Sorry, kids.

Embers and Envelopes

Chapter 2: Bad Timing

Disclaimer: Not mine. Sorry. Wish I did.

Summary: The date from hell, a jealous lover, and PROBABLY the most awkward night ever. Lemon will be next chapter, I promise, so expect some down and dirty smut.

Riza twisted in front of the bathroom mirror, trying to twist her hair up. These disguises were part of the reason she hated going undercover. She jabbed a few more bobby pins into the soft blonde mass on top of her head. It was a little messy, but it would have to do.

She left the bathroom and slumped down in front of her dressing table. Picking up a pot of foundation, she started to change her entire appearance. During these missions she likened herself to a geisha, changing her entire appearance to fit a certain role prescribed. She let her mind wander as she mindlessly did her face, knowing the routine by heart. She applied foundation several shades darker then her natural skin tone, and carefully blended it, and slowly applied rouge.

When she was finished she sat back and appraised the results. She looked so different, but then again, that was the point. Black Hayate sat in the corner and beat his tail on the floor in approval. Dressed silly or not, she was still his master.

Riza stood up and walked over to the only large mirror in the room. It covered her from head to mid-thigh. A soft black skirt was offset by a lavender top that twisted around over her breasts and tied behind her neck. She carefully tied a black silk scarf around the base of the bun in her hair and allowed the ends to trail over her back and shoulders.

Grabbing her jacket, she looked into the mirror one last time, before hoisting a shoulderbag containing Roy's requested files onto her arm. She gritted her teeth under the immense weight and turned to lock her apartment door behind her.

At least Roy was getting what he wanted, anyway.

Standing in the busy Square, Roy leaned on the hood of Havoc's company car. Havoc had the window rolled down, taking deep drags on his cigarette. He flicked ash out the window, and Roy sighed.

"Dammit, she's late!" Roy checked his pocket watch, watching the hands tick past 7:04 to 7:05.

"Relax, chief," Havoc said lazily, stretching in the front seat. "It takes her a couple hours to get dressed, anyway."

Roy turned to Havoc, confused. "How do you know how long it takes Elizabeth to get dressed?"

Havoc paled slightly and took the last long drag on his cigarette, flicking the butt out the window. "I was just sayin', don't it usually take women a long time?" He fumbled in glove compartment for a fresh cigarette. "Hey, can you light?"

"What? Oh," Roy snapped his fingers dangerously close to Havoc's face and instantly the cigarette in his mouth flared and then went down as he began sucking on the filter.

"Where you taking her, anyway?"

"I have dinner reservations, and then going back to my house."

Havoc choked. "Your house?"

Mustang grinned with his customary smirk. "Well, yeah. I mean, a date with me, and then she'll just be dying to have an intellectual conversation."

In the darkness of the vehicle. Havoc blanched. Dammit! He was going to try and sleep with her, wasn't he? Son of a bitch. He brightened slightly at the remembrance that it was Riza Hawkeye they were talking about, and then groaned again when he realized that once Riza was in Mustang's company for the night, he'd be alone again for the evening.

"Sorry I'm late!" A higher pitched, feminine voice echoed across the square as a striking young blond hurried to them.

Both Havoc and Mustang had to stop and stare. God, why couldn't Riza look like that more often? Her hair was twisted up and back, and her outfit…Christ. Long, pale, slender legs stretched out from under her short black skirt, and the halter top she wore accented the breasts that were usually hidden under her military uniform.

Roy found his voice first. "Elizabeth! Great to see you again."

Riza smiled prettily, if slightly forced. "Of course, si—" Riza stopped midsentence, catching the sir. "I mean, Colonel Mustang."

Roy grinned broadly at his subordinate. "Call me Roy."

"Yes, Roy." Roy swung open the back door to the car, and stood back. "Come on, I have dinner reservations for us. "

Riza slid into the backseat, followed by Roy, who slammed the door.

Havoc stared at Riza in the rearview mirror, taking in the brunt of her appearance. She was beautiful, no doubt, but underneath the sexy clothes she seemed tense. Staring hard at her, he could see a tic working near her eye, and part of him wanted to comfort her, and the other part wanted to slap the shit out of Roy for taking her out like that.

Oh well. Best bet was to just get through the damned night.

Riza twisted in her chair, mindlessly bored. Roy chattered on and on about the military, the weather in Central, Amestrian politics, and every other pointless detail he could conjure up about anything.

God, was he always so damned boring on dates with other women? Maybe this was why he rarely had a second date with any of them.

She grasped blindly for the bottle of wine on the table, pouring herself her second—or was it her third?—glass. Roy watched, amused, as she upended the bottle into her glass and nursed it eagerly.

"Am I that poor a conversationalist?" Roy smiled at her sweetly. Riza widened her eyes at him, mocking.

"Of course not, Roy." Her throat was tired from the slightly higher-pitched voice Elizabeth spoke in.

He smirked at her over his own glass. "Then I guess we should forget dessert and get on with the evening."

That seemed like a good idea as any to Riza. She quickly drank the rest of her wine as Roy hailed the waitress and paid the bill. She was curious as to how much he actually spent on their "date" but the matter was over and done with before she had a chance to snag the case.

She stood quickly, and Roy helped her shrug on her jacket. At least he was a gentleman. But as he left her to struggle with the ridiculously heavy purse, made so by those files he requested, all notions of his chivalry went straight out the window with Havoc's cigarette smoke.

Havoc drive silently, determinedly keeping his eyes on the roads before him and not on the couple in the back of his car. Riza had seemed slightly unsteady on her feet, leaving the restaurant. It certainly wasn't the shoes, because earlier in the evening she had walked like a runway model.

He pulled up in front of Roy's home. Although she'd been there before, Riza certainly wasn't used to the sight, such a departure from her own typical apartment complex. It wasn't especially lavish, but the decently sized two level house always made her wonder what he did in it all by himself.

Roy jumped out of the car and opened her door before she had a chance to herself, and helped her out of the vehicle. He offered Havoc a mischievous smirk before tapping the man on the arm. "Thank you for you services, First Lieutenant Havoc."

Havoc's eyes met Riza's briefly before he pulled away. "Right, chief." At first glance her eyes were expressionless, and then upon closer inspection, saw they held mainly annoyance mixed with flecks of tiredness. At least, that's what he though before Roy whisked her away.

Roy took Riza's elbow and lead her up the porch steps, and unlocked the front door.

"Finally home!" Roy said brightly.

When Riza spoke, her voice was raspy. "Yes, sir." She stripped Fuery's glasses off her face and rubbed her eyes. "Those damned glasses always give me a headache."

"Either that or all the wine at dinner," Roy suggested with a smirk.

"If you were better at being entertaining with your conversation I wouldn't have had to drink until you were interesting," Riza shot back.

Roy flinched slightly at the burn. "Ow." He moved to take her coat from her, and throw it onto the coatrack in the foyer. "Well, then, on to my study."

Riza's heels clicked on the shiny wooden floors, and for some reason she wondered how many women had walked these floors before her. Her eyes took in the polished mahogany furniture in the house, including a beautiful cut-glass crystal vase of fresh flowers. The carpets seem freshly beaten and shampooed, and Riza had a sneaking suspicion that Roy didn't do it himself.

"How do you keep your house so neat?" she asked the back of his head, as he walked in front of her. "Judging by your office, you damn well don't do it yourself."

"I have a housekeeper come in a couple times a week. A middle aged woman from Lior, Sarah. You'll probably run into her eventually," he explained.

"What makes you think I'm ever coming back here?" she retorted. She followed him into a pitch-black room, stopping short as she slammed into his back. "Dammit, turn on the lights." She turned blindly, and caught the corner of a table in her thigh. "Son of a bitch."

The lights in the room flared and then eased, filling the room in a soft glow. It was a study, all right. A desk lined one wall, with a fireplace on another, while a couch and coffee table filled the middle of the room. Riza rubbed the bruise on her leg in annoyance.

Riza kicked off her heels, sighing at the relief of being able to relax. Roy sat down on the couch, crossing an ankle over his knee. Taking advantage of his position, Riza heaved her shoulder bag at him. Roy tried to catch it and grunted as it hit him in the stomach. "What the hell do you have in here, Riza?" he demanded.

"Your files," she said sweetly. She dropped to her knees on the carpet across from him, and opened the clasp of her bag, withdrawing the folios. "We have every internal military acquisition for the past year like you said."

"Why the hell is it so big?"

"Because there are close to 100 military divisions and if they're like us they go through authorized supplies like water!"

Roy groaned. How the hell was he supposed to know there was going to be so much? This wasn't the plan. He picked up the top folder and skimmed it, but when his interest waned he watched Riza over the top of the papers. She looked beautiful in the soft lights, not in the bulky, shapeless military uniforms.

"You know," he said, drawing on his charm, "if you want I can light the fireplace—"

"No," she said brusquely, not even looking at him. "Now stop slacking and read the damn papers."

Roy dropped the folio and picked up another. He was skimming the 7th page when a thought struck him. "What the hell are we looking for, anyway?"

Riza froze. He was fucking with her, right? She slowly looked up at him, and saw him sitting there, perplexed. Oh, this was too much.

"What are we looking for?!" Riza lost it. "Discrepencies! Problems! Anything that can help us with this!" She jumped to her feet, in full fury. "You bring me out on a ridiculous date, under false pretenses, and ask me why!? I should be asking YOU why! You're the most arrogant—"

Roy had had enough. He too stood, but in the middle of her tirade, rather then surrender, he kissed her.

Roy's own conciousness was screaming at him "YOU IDIOT!" but he couldn't help it. Oh God, he couldn't help it. And for the first time in the history of him knowing her, she was struck silent.

Riza was dying. It was a kiss she could have only dreamed of, and half of her was giving in and half of her was ready to kill him. How dare he do this to her, and put her in this position?

Her rage began to win over her lust, and she pushed him back with all her strength, seething.

Roy fell back onto the couch and he looked at her in her towering fury. Her face was flushed, her hair mussed, lips reddened from the kiss. Oh gods…

Roy may have thought she looked beautiful, but Riza was ready to kill him.

Her lips moved, but no sound came out. She was shaking with anger, and finally she was able to utter something coherent.

"What the hell do you think you're doing, you bastard!"


	3. An Unexpected Fiasco

Embers and Envelopes

Chapter 3: An Unexpected Fiasco

Author's Notes: So my first shot at lemon. If it sucks, I'm sorry. If it's good, let me know. My apologizes if this chapter runs a little long. Please Review!

Also, mentioned in this chapter is a reference, to Ed's "travelogue." In the manga, each state Alchemist writes his findings in a type of cipher, designed to look like something else. Dr. Marcoh wrote his like a cookbook, Mustang's is a dating diary, and Ed's is disguised as a travelogue.

Chapter Summary: Riza and Roy settle their differences, Ed and Al finally make it back to Central, and things get infinitely complicated.

Chapter 3: An Unexpected Fiasco

Riza panted in her fury. Her anger painted her face a deep crimson, and her breath came in spurts. Roy could only watch in stupefied amazement as she towered over him, speechless and seething. When she spoke, each word weighed heavily in the air, hanging between them.

"What. The hell. Do you think. You're doing?" She phrased the words individually, forming each as though she were reciting. She continued to stare down Mustang, and when he said nothing, she found herself incredibly calm. She gracefully lowered herself to the floor, dipping her hand into her purse as through it were a rehearsed dance routine. When she drew herself back up, she had her handgun clutched in her trembling hands.

Roy gulped. She wouldn't shoot him, would she? He watched the muzzle point directly at him and stared it down.

Well, maybe she would.

Roy flinched as the weapon suddenly swung upwards and he heard the shot ring clearly through the air, followed immediately by the sounds of exploding glass.

"God, Riza! Some of the things here are antique—" He shut up as he saw the hot muzzle of the gun mere inches from his face. She was ridiculously close to him now; she must have used his distraction to gain a better position….

Riza was back in control. Her breathing was regular and her face lost some of the flush. The heavy gun in her hands weighed her down, brought her back to earth. She envisioned the bullet she had just fired as pulling all her anger away, leaving her calm and collected.

"I'll ask you one more time. What the hell do you think you're doing!" Her voice scaled up on the last word, and she struggled to keep her rage in check.

Roy finally found himself. He leapt from the couch to stand in front of her, gesturing wildly and speaking incoherently. Riza stared at him, a mixture of confusion and annoyance, and finally couldn't take it anymore. The slap across his face echoed around the room almost as loudly as her gunshot. Roy's hand reached up to tenderly touch his cheek, and he sighed. Even in this situation, Riza had the upper hand. Quite literally.

"Let me get a drink," he pleaded with her. "One drink and I'll explain."

One hundred miles away on a train bound for Central, Edward Elric squirmed restlessly in his seat. Even though it was their most luxurious method of travel (and well paid for by his research grant as a State Alchemist), he hated sitting for so long. The seats made his ass fall asleep, the constant motion gave him a headache, and the incessant buzz from the other passengers grated on his nerves.

"Sit still, brother," Al admonished the older boy. "You're making me nervous."

"Sorry, Al. I can't help it. You know I can't be still for so long." He stretched again, lithe and catlike. It sparked a tingle of jealousy in the younger brother, watching his sibling move so gracefully, even if his body wasn't whole. Al could move like that if he wanted to, but what was the point? There were no nerves that could numb, or muscles to kink.

Ed slumped down in his seat again, bored. The hardbound alchemy book fell off his lap, landing awkwardly against the basket Winry had begrudgingly sent with them. For some reason, she liked it less and less when Ed had to leave. It was almost as if she welcomed his intrusions and erratic repairs.

Al bent and scooped up the book, smoothing the pages with metal fingers and closing the covers. He laid the book on the seat beside him. "You should take better care of your research materials, brother. Especially books that don't belong to you. I doubt the Colonel would appreciate you throwing his things around. The only thing you take care of is your travelogue and your pocketwatch."

"I doubt that bastard Colonel's touched these books in ages. I'm surprised he can even read," Ed said dismissively, lifting his feet to rest on the empty seat before him. "Maybe that's why he doesn't read any of his papers."

"Brother…the Colonel is nice enough to let you borrow his books. He doesn't have to do that, he could have sent you to the Military library."

Ed snorted. "That bastard? Those books will come with a price eventually, I guarantee it. Equivalent exchange, Al. He'll want something from me.

"I suppose…"

With the cold hard barrel of a gun pressed firmly against his cranium, Roy Mustang fidgeted with a cut-glass decanter of brandy. His usually nimble fingers clumsily filled two tumblers with ice, and twisted the top off the bottle. His hands shook as he poured the drinks. God, what had he gotten himself into, kissing Riza Hawkeye like this? He turned to offer her a glass, and in returned received a slight whack in the head that made him wince. Roy hurriedly downed his own portion and turned to face her, licking his lips.

Just the image of her standing there made him smile. Barefoot, hair slightly mussed, skirt riding up her ass and –was that a run in her stockings?—she was beautiful and a mess and completely in control.

But alas, smiling was not the wisest choice for this poor man. Riza made to grab his arm in her final annoyance, and instead missed him as he flinched away. However, the sudden motion of Riza against the wall sent the unconsumed glass of brandy falling to the floor with a wet smash. Both Roy and Riza jumped at the sound. Riza let her gun fall to the table and slowly crouched down by the mess, plucking shards of glass from spilled liquor.

"I'm sorry, sir." Riza apologized, gathering the shards in her palm. Roy dug around in the liquor chest for a moment before producing a small tea towel.

"Put the glass in this before you—" Roy was interrupted by Riza's soft gasp, and sighed, "cut yourself."

Riza deposited the shards in her hand into his towel and carefully stood up. A tiny sliver of glass clung stubbornly to her pointer finger, visible only by the thin outline of blood. Roy gently grasped her elbow, steering her away from the mess on the floor. "Careful, you're not wearing shoes."

Riza allowed herself to be steered towards the couch. He gently pushed her down to sit, and went to fetch the first aid kit from the kitchen. She stared into the empty fireplace, her mind still foggy. What the hell was going on? Why was she barefoot and bleeding in Roy Mustang's home? Why was she wearing a miniskirt? And most importantly, why the hell was his kiss still on the forefront of her mind?

Roy came back in to the study, a small box tucked under his arm. He followed her gaze to the fireplace pit and smirked to himself. With a click of his fingers and a flick of his wrist, a fire blared. He chuckled to himself as Riza jumped at the sudden flash of light and heat.

He crouched before her, taking her injured hand in his, carefully removing the glass as she winced. She watched him apply the antiseptic and a bandage, and as he worked she began to laugh. A low chuckle in the back of her throat to a loud shrieking laugh that sent her slumped to the back of the sofa. The image of him squatting before her, in socks and his collared white dress shirt, amused her above all else. Roy sat back on his haunches. He cocked his head to the side in bewilderment and she laughed harder.

"Y-y-y-you look like B-b-black H-hayate…" she spluttered. A bemused smile crossed Roy's own lips. Riza had finally cracked, hadn't she? He'd never heard her laugh so wholeheartedly. Slowly, her laugher died down. "Ooh, my stomach," she groaned, still interspersed with giggles. Roy continued to look up at her, amusement in his own eyes.

Suddenly Riza found herself in a contest, staring down Roy's own black eyes with her caramel colored ones.

Lust won over logic, as lust is wont to do.

Roy cried out as he felt Riza throw her body against him. He felt the sharp corner of a wooden coffee table in his back, briefly, before completely losing his balance and falling backwards onto the carpet. Everything else was a flurry of movement and feeling, fractured in his mind.

God, was is this he was feeling? Hot lips on his, a satin top and wool skirt beneath his hands –where are the zippers? Zippers…there! One garment down…While Riza ravaged his mouth, in all peculiarity Roy couldn't focus on her kisses and rather his mind contemplated her top. How the hell did he get this off? Wait, a knot in the back, by her neck…As Riza's lips moved towards his neck, he allowed himself to struggle with her halter top. A few moments of fidgeting and the knot came loose, allowing the silk to fall away. Success! Oh God, Roy was brought back to the present as he realized his dress shirt was unbuttoned, and there were hot, sweet lips trailing down his chest.

As Riza moved back up to Roy's own lips, Roy drew his arms up around her, holding her close. What was this his felt? Breasts? Sweet merciful lord, there were breasts!—warm and soft in his hands.

The haze of his delirium lifted as he felt Riza pull away and sit back on her heels. He looked up at her, dazed, until he saw the fire in her eyes.

"Tell me," she demanded in a voice that was both harsh, and seductive, "going out tonight on business was a pretext, wasn't it?"

Roy couldn't think fast enough to lie. "I wanted to take you out for once, is that such a crime? I just wanted to keep it low so I thought it'd be best if you played Elizabeth…"

"And the paperwork?"

Roy groaned. Always with the paperwork. "We really do have a situation! I just though, y'know, it was a legitimate excuse…" As he said those words, Roy covered his face and steeled himself for the onslaught of bullets.

To his consternation, they didn't come. He slowly uncovered his face to see Riza still looking down at him, calculating. He noted that the gun was painfully close to his face. Nothing would save him now but talking. Smooth, fast talking. Preferably containing the truth.

"Listen Riza," he sat up in a motion meant to discourage, but not push her off.

"I've been trying to listen all night," she hissed.

"I didn't ask you out on pretext. Well, not really," He stumbled over his words a bit, trying to organize himself. "See, this weapons case is real. We do need to figure out what the hell is going on in Central." Roy sighed, and resigned himself to finish. "But Riza, you're always working, or at home with that damn dog—"

"A dog I had to leave with Havoc tonight, of all people!" Riza cut in. It was true. She hated leaving Black Hayate with a pet sitter, and Havoc was worst of all. Havoc did it out of kindness for her, but she suspected that there would be a couple new bite marks on Havoc's hands tomorrow morning.

"Regardless, Riza," Roy pushed on. "You never do anything for yourself, and had I asked to take you out naturally, would you really have accepted?"

Riza paused. She really didn't know the answer to that. She'd never really thought of her Colonel in that way, except to tut-tut at the bimbos he dated and act as his driver. But a date? As Riza Hawkeye? With Roy Mustang? The idea had never really come to her. Her mind reeled.

"I don't really know," she admitted, allowing the weapon to drop. "It's also against military policy to become involved with our own divisions, so I probably would have denied from the start based on that alone."

"So don't you understand?" Roy said eagerly. "We're not out as Lieutenant Hawkeye and Colonel Mustang, we're out as Elizabeth and Roy."

Riza gave up with a shake of her head. "I never thought the infamous ladies man Roy Mustang would have to order a subordinate on a date."

"It wasn't an order!"

Suddenly she turned back to him. "Why would you have wanted to go on a date with me anyway? Were you expecting to get lucky?" Her messy clothing seemed more apparent now.

"Never!" Roy stared at her. "I love you more then to use you like that!"

"Well that's good to know—" Riza's heart paused for a few beats as she processed what he said. "You love me?"

Roy let his head fall back onto the floor. Damn, damn, damn! That's not how it was supposed to come out! But Riza was staring at him, suddenly paler then usual.

With a groan, Roy nodded. There was no use in hiding it anymore.

Her reaction was unexpected for both of them. Tears pricked her eyes, and shone there. "You idiot," she whispered.

Roy was crushed. Of all things, he couldn't have anticipated this. Roy carefully slipped his arms around her, holding her close. "First I made you angry and now I've made you cry. Tonight isn't a good night for me, is it?"

Riza pulled back from his collar and offered a smile. "Just unexpected."

"Do you want me to take you home?" Roy asked, holding her slightly away from his body to look down at her.

Riza paused before answering. "No."

"No?" Roy's heart jumped into his throat.

"I'd like to stay tonight, if that's all right with you," she said shyly.

Roy stared at her, both disbelieving and elated. "You can stay, all right."

Riza leaned back into Roy's collar. This was a night for Elizabeth. She could worry about Riza tomorrow.

"Hey! What are you doing here?" Ed tumbled off the train, Al right behind him lugging his brother's satchel. The sight of Jean Havoc, leaning against the hood of a Central car and staring at the stars, was completely unexpected. A dozen cigarette butts littered the ground at his feet and another smoldered between his lips. Ed suspected he'd been standing there for some time.

Jean stood up straight, cigarette dangling from his lips. He offered the pair a salute and a smile, but it didn't reach all the way to his eyes. "I was out tonight anyway so I figured I could come pick you up from the train station."

"So late? Where have you been, Second Lieutenant?" Al asked, swinging the suitcase gently.

"Oh, nowhere," Jean sighed, flicking his cigarette butt onto the floor. His mind was still on Riza, and her "mission" with the Colonel. What was she doing at the Colonel's house, all by herself…

The loud thunk of a suitcase getting thrown into the trunk, followed by the slam of the door brought Jean back to the present. Ed was standing at the boot of car still, and Al was still watching the poor man wrestle with himself.

"Are you sure everything is okay, sir?" Al asked again.

"Yeah, I'm fine," muttered Jean, turning back to the car.

"Good, let's go, I'm hungry," complained Ed, yanking open the back door of the cab. "Come on, Al."

Al sighed. "Sometimes you need to stop and feel others, brother," he muttered.

Naked, Riza Hawkeye was exquisite.

He'd carried her, bridal-style, up to his master bedroom, and laid her gently down on the feather bed. It had taken some doing to get her clothes off, her lips being as needy as they were. Her hands raked down the back of his dress shirt, pulling it out of his slacks. With astounding quickness, he was Roy Mustang again, and not a cowering child. Effortlessly, with the experience awarded him by all the women before her, he stripped off her top and skirt, leaving her in undergarments and her garter belt. Roy was in control again, and focused.

Once in her underwear, Riza flipped Roy over, straddling his hips. Slowly, sexily, she unbuttoned his shirt, tugging it off him. She moved down over his body to unzip his pants, struggling slightly with his belt before unhooking it. Pants opened, Roy lifted his hips so she could slide them off with his shorts.

Riza had to admit, Roy was pretty attractive naked. And his endowment was nothing to scoff at either. She leaned down to kiss him again and let out a cry of surprise as he flipped them over again, placing himself on top of her. She felt his arousal pressing into the gusset of her panties, and she allowed him entry into her mouth. His tongue searched her mouth until it found hers, and with a groan of joy she tightened her arms around him, kissing him deeply.

Roy Mutang was in heaven. While it was true that he frequently had a woman in his bed, Riza was no ordinary woman.

She worked her hand between their bodies and slipped her hand into his boxers and gave him a squeeze. He gasped at the feeling, pressing his hips against hers. Roy hooked his thumbs into the elastic of her panties, and feeling her hips lift, slid them off her. He unhooked her stockings, and gently slid them off too, followed by her belt and bra.

Once she was nude Roy could do nothing but stare at her. She was incredible. Fair skin with a darker blonde crosshatching of hair deep between her legs. Sweet, sweet creamy skin that Roy just wanted to devour…

He couldn't wait any longer. He wiggled out of his boxers in a serpentine move that made Riza giggle as she felt him squirm. Naked but for his socks, Riza felt him press against her again, this time with more insistence.

And she didn't refuse. Instead, she spread her legs wider to allow him greater purchase.

Roy slid his hands around her hips, gripping her gently. He pressed the tip of his member against her center and pushed.

Riza moaned as she felt his entry, arching her back. Roy moaned too as he was fully engulfed in her. She was wet and tight and sublime. He began to thrust inside of her making her cry out at the sensations.

She hated to admit it, but her illustrious womanizing commanding officer was no match for Havoc in bed. While she enjoyed this with Roy, Havoc was definitely more considerate. And he knew his foreplay.

She allowed him his pleasure, even offering her own false cries as she felt him complete within her.

He slumped over her body, breathing wildly. He offered her breasts heavy kisses, nuzzling them and sleepily running his hands over her body. His hair tickled her neck and chest, and she brought up her hands to run over his scalp, feeling the heavy black strands between her fingers. He gave a cry between a moan and a purr, and she allowed herself to touch him. His skin was soft beneath her hands, moreso than she would have expected. She ran her hands over his neck, down his shoulders, and over his chest, feeling him sigh as she did so.

Roy cuddled up to her, slipping his arms around her body. She was sweetly scented, and her hair was soft. She laid her head on his shoulder, and he tipped her chin up to look him in the eyes.

God damn, his beautiful dark eyes made the whole night worth it. Love, passion, tenderness, and something that looked a lot like sleepiness stared into the chocolate depths of her eyes. She wasn't sure what her eyes were telling him, but he seemed satisfied.

Slumping back against the pile of down pillows behind them, Riza cuddled up against his body and allowed herself to try and sleep.

"Postpone the morning," she silently prayed to herself. "I really don't want to go in to the office tomorrow…."

Jean Havoc stood in front of Dormitory B, at Central Military Headquarters. He took a long drag from his cigarette and stared up at the sky.

"Dammit, Riza," he muttered. He took a last long drag and flicked the butt to the ground. A strange feeling flooded Jean's stomach and chest, traveling all over his body. He pulled another from the box in his pocket, and lit it. It was half gone by the time he yanked it out from his lips, startled by a realization.

"I do NOT love you!" he snapped to no one in particular.

At least, he hoped that was true.

AUTHOR'S NOTES: cowers Don't kill me please…

CHAPTER PREVIEW: Roy makes up for his less then stellar performance from the night before, Havoc is a basket case, and Ed doesn't help matters…


	4. A Long Morning

Disclaimer and Author's Notes:

I don't own FMA. That being said, I bring you Chapter 4. Riza suffers through the morning after, Havoc is a wreck, and Ed doesn't help the situation much…

I'm also using more of Riza's character from the manga then the anime, with the mention of her father.

By the by, this fic was inspired by the song "Embers and Envelopes" by the band Mae. For your listening pleasure, and to maybe get a feel for the angle I was going for, I've uploaded the song onto the internet here:

don't have to download it, just copy and paste the address and hit the play button.

Chapter 4:

The Long Morning

Riza twisted slightly in bed, confused. This wasn't her bed. Or her apartment.

Her mind went over the details of her situation, a sort of reconnaissance. She knew these facts: It was morning. This was not her bed. This was not her apartment. She was naked. There was a tall, lean black haired man sleeping naked besides her. Upon further inspection, this man proved to be Colonel Roy Mustang.

Oh, shit.

"All right, damn." Jean Havoc slowly sat up in his own bed, glaring at the large puppy at the foot of the bed. The animal yipped joyfully and floundered in the sheets before Havoc through back the blankets.

Havoc scratched and stretched in the sunlight streaming in from the window. He stuffed his feet into slippers and swung open the door of his apartment, allowing the dog to bound down the stairs and outside. Shirtless and in his shorts, he followed it down and allowed it outside into the yard of the building.

Good lord, it had been nearly a week since he'd slept in his own bed. Alone. At first the absence of his sexy blonde bedmate confused him, but the memories from last night came back to him as he struck the match for his first cigarette of the day. He leaned against the railing of the porch, taking deep drags and contemplating where things got so infinitely complicated.

So Riza went out with the Colonel. So what. His relationship with Riza was friendly, nothing more. They slept together more because they were available, not because of any strange undercurrents of emotion. Love was a word that never passed between them.

Havoc sighed and watched Black Hayate pee on a flowering bush by the stairs. Across the street, his neighbor came out to retrieve her newspaper and offered him a dirty look at his half-dressed state. He merely offered her a half-smile and wave of his fingers in reply.

"All right, Hayate, back upstairs," he ordered the puppy. "I'm bringing you back to Riza in an hour."

Holy crap, what had happened last night? She was naked with her commanding officer, and the fact that he was naked too had to mean they had sex, right?

She struggled to recall the details of the night before. Missions, Elizabeth, dinners, wine, paperwork, kisses, breaking glass, and sex.

When she turned her head again, she found black eyes looking down at her warmly. He brought his hand up to caress her cheek and then leaned down to kiss her. His lips were warm and lazy on her mouth, and she felt herself tense. This wasn't good.

"Morning," Roy murmured to her.

"Morning, Colonel."

He brought a hand to her lips to silence her. "No," he admonished. "We're obviously not in the office, so proper titles aren't needed, right?" He nuzzled her neck before kissing her shoulder. Riza sighed in pleasure as she felt his lips course downwards, but stopped him when they reached her breasts.

Wildly, without reason, she thought of Havoc. After their nights together, there was none of this sweet cuddling and kisses. It was all business. Sometimes, afterwards, she allowed him to crack the window and have a cigarette in bed – but that was only when he earned it.

"Don't you have work, Colonel Mustang?" Riza asked sweetly. Until she put on her Military uniform, she was still Elizabeth. It was time to finish this façade. She would walk into headquarters as Riza Hawkeye and leave this all behind.

He mock-glowered at her. "I know, I know." He slowly rose from the bed, giving Riza a good look at his body, fully nude. He began to collect their clothes, tossing Riza her garments from the piles on the floor. She too rose to dress, slipping on panties and turning to clasp her bra.

"Don't you want a shower?" He was still naked, only now she had a back view as he rooted through the closet, coming away with fresh towels in his arms. Riza paused. A shower sounded good, especially when the thought of rushing home, throwing on her uniform, and going straight to work while the scents from..last night still clung to her body like a perfume. She was close to accepting the offer, when he offered a sexy smile. "We can take one together, if you'd like."

Not hiding her annoyance, she shrugged him off her. She tugged on her blouse and skirt, tossing her ruined hose in the trash basket in the corner. She turned to face him, still barefoot. "I'm going to leave."

"What? And miss breakfast?" Roy asked her, surprised.

"Breakfast?"

"Sarah always goes all out, she makes a full breakfast," Roy explained eagerly.

"Is that why you're always late to work?" she quipped.

"If you believing that makes you less angry when I come in late, then definately." He went to embrace her again, but she pushed him away. More playfully then she intended, she thought.

"No. Where are my shoes?"

Roy paused thoughfully. "Umm...I think you left them in the study." A look of horror passed over his face. "With those damn records!"

Riza brushed passed him, with a smirk. "I guess you actually have some work to do in the office today," she called over her shoulder as she padded down the hall. It took a moment for her statement to sink in, but when it did he darted after her.

Riza laughed as she ran down the stairs, like a child's game of chase. She could hear Roy on the hardwood floor of the top floor getting closer, her bare feet soundless on the plush carpet. She swung around the bannister on the bottom floor...

...and smacked into a short, stout woman waiting at the foot of the stairs.

Havoc skulked into headquarters, with Black Hayate dutifully (if a bit grudgingly) walking on his leash besides him. He kept his eyes down, but allowed himself a single look at Riza's desk. It was clean, paper-free, with no jacket over her chair. She wasn't in yet.

He turned to look to the left. The Colonel's office door was shut, and the office was dark. Either he was napping, which was likely, or he wasn't in yet either. Also likely.

Damn.

Riza instantly sobered. What the hell had she been thinking? One moment she was acting like a teenager and the next she was face-to-face with a strange woman in the house of her lo--superior officer. She shook her head slightly, to get the word "lover" out of her mind.

Roy bounded down the stairs after her, still thinking she was in the study. As he reached the bottom he saw her standing there, but it was too late. He tried to slow down, but he skidded on the throw rug in the hallway. His feet slid out from under him, and his hands shot out to grab anything to prevent him from falling. Unfortunately, the closest thing was Riza. His hand caught her upper arm, and Riza felt herself falling. Roy's ass hit the floor first, with Riza falling on top of him.

"Riza, this is Sarah," Roy said in as formal a voice as he could muster. Sarah inclined her head politely, the corners of her mouth twitching as though she were fighting a smile.

Riza was mortified. She was laying on the floor across Colonel Mustang in her clothing from the previous evening, her skirt riding up her ass, barefooted and dazed. She strugged to stand, rising as gracefully as she could with as much dignity as she could muster. "Pleasure to meet you, Sarah," she offered her hand to the woman while simultaneously pulling down the back of her skirt with her other. Roy snickered on the floor until she swiftly reached behind her with her foot to deliver a solid kick to the shin. "Ow!"

"Now," Roy said authoritavely, standing. "Sarah, Riza will take breakfast in the dining room while I take a shower." He turned to direct himself at Riza. "When I'm finished I'll take you to your apartment to shower and dress, and then I'll drive you to the office."

"Do you know how late we're going to be?!" she practically wailed. And then she actually looked at him. "Good God! Make yourself decent when you come downstairs!"

Roy gave her another smile before he touched her shoulder and turned to go upstairs. "Yes Mother. I'll take less then ten minutes, I promise."

"Where's Colonel Bastard?"

Every heard in the office turned to face the doorway where the youngest Elric stood, glowering at everyone.

"Not in yet," Breda said casually. Neither of his superiors were in yet, which made for a lovely morning of slacking.

"He should be in soon," offered Fuery, trying to be helpful. "He's usually late, anyway."

Ed shifted from foot to foot. Dog of the military or not, he was always antsy to finish giving his reports and get the hell out of headquarters. "I have it all written up, can't I just give it to Lieutenant Hawkeye?"

Fuery paused, contemplating. "You can, I guess. She's not here either."

"Hawkeye? Miss Punctual?" Ed scoffed. "It'd take something pretty damn important to keep her away from here, wouldn't it?" He didn't wait for an answer before rattling on. "Damn it! That bastard says he has something important for me to do but he can't even show up on time?"

"I think I'm going to go out for a smoke, I'll be right back," Havoc said, too loudly. Everyone in the room turned to look as he grabbed his jacked and skulked out.

Breda snorted. "That fool didn't even remember he had a lit one in his mouth already."

Riza led Roy up the stairs of her building to her apartment. He'd never been to her home before, and was kind of interested to see what this woman lived like.

Riza was determined to make this as quick as possible. "Go sit in the kitchen," she instructed. "If you want, you can make yourself coffee or something, but I won't be long."

Leaving him examining her kitchen, she walked quickly to her bedroom, shedding her clothes and grabbing her robe and slippers. The heat of the shower felt good on her body, and she relaxed for a couple of minutes before washing her hair and quickly soaping and washing her body. Her mind wandered. What were her co-workers going to think when she and Roy came in together, nearly an hour late? They couldn't know, it would ruin Roy...

Stepping out of the shower, she toweled herself off and went into her bedroom to root through her closet for her uniform. She shivered slightly as she drew on fresh panties...but was it from the cold, or remembering last night? She shook off that thought and threw on the rest of her clothes, jamming her feet into boots. She had too much to think about instead of fantasizing like a schoolgirl.

She found Roy in the living room, drinking from a mug of black coffee and looking at the pictures on the small table near the couch. "We can go now, Roy."

Roy picked of a framed picture of a young blonde girl with an older man. "Your father." It wasn't a question.

For some reason, that made her angry. "Yes, Roy. My father. Let's go," she said forcefully. She strode over, jerked the picture out of his hand, and set it on the table. She yanked the coffee cup in the same manner, and slammed it onto the table violently. "We're leaving. Now."

Roy watched her retreating back with suprise. What nerve had he touched?


	5. Blind Submission

Disclaimer: I don't own FMA, but I do own a some graphic novels and a plushie Roy Mustang…does that count?

Summary: Ed has a mission, and Havoc has a confession…

Chapter 5:

Blind Submission

Riza surveyed the room from her desk. The room was quiet, minus the scribbling of pens across paper. Roy had taken Ed into the inner office, and was briefing him on the current situation. Havoc's desk was empty, he had gone for another cigarette break.

She sighed. This whole ordeal was getting far too complicated. She reached blindly for her bag on the floor. Not finding it, she ducked her head down. Under her desk was empty.

"Dammit! Riza cried suddenly, pushing her chair violently back from her desk. The pens in the room stopped scribbling, and Riza felt the eyes of all her compatriots on her. She gave a single death glare, and then feeling disappeared as the pens started scribbling again.

She got up and started towards the door of her superior's office. She'd left her damn bag, and her files, in his living room.

"Listen, squirt," Roy said casually, propping his feet on the desk.

"Who are you calling so small he can drown in a puddle?" Ed snapped.

"Shut up," Roy drawled casually. "I'm not really in the mood for your talk. I have you here for a reason, anyway."

"So why don't you just shut up and tell me?" he returned.

"There's a case of embezzling supplies from within the Military," Roy said matter-of-factly. "Not just supplies, but apparently someone's been knocking around State Alchemists to take their watches."

"But you have to be an Alchemist to really use a watch, don't you?" Ed said.

"Bingo, kid," Roy said. "I'd keep an eye on my pocketwatch if I were you,": he added as an afterthought.

"No one's taking anything of mine!" he snarled, reaching into his pocket to grip it protectively.

Roy smirked. "Just keep an ear to the ground around headquarters." He paused for a beat. "Than again, your such a pipsqueak your ear is pretty close to the ground already"

"Why you—"

"I'd recommend taking the Colonel's advice, Major." Riza's voice came from the doorway. Riza strode in, trying to delicately phrase her request. "Ah, sir," she offered them both a salute. "I have time to review those files I acquired from the Records room, but…"

"Yes, Lieutenant?"

She sighed. Tact was useless. "I seem to have forgotten my bag. Last night."

"Oh," Roy said, thinking. "That pile of crap you left in my study?"

Next to her, the Major whistled under his breath. She gritted her teeth. "Yes, sir."

Roy shrugged. "I can go pick them up when I finish with the Major, or if you have the time, just take a car and go yourself..

Riza gazed at his desk, covered in untouched papers. "I will, sir. It seems you have a lot to do," she offered, her voice laced with sarcasm.

"Thank you. Dismissed, Lieutenant."

As Riza turned to leave, Ed said after her, "Wow, Lieutenant, I didn't think you had it in you."

In a split second, Riza was directly in front of him, her hands on the armrests of his chair. Ed blinked. Her face was less then three inches away from his. "It would do you well, Major, to refrain from making remarks about my professional relationships," she hissed, stressing the word "professional" Her eyes flashed with deadly light.

"Y-yes ma'am," Ed squeaked. Riza straightened up and seemed to be on the verge of saying something to the Colonel, but thought better of it.

Both men watched her as she turned on her heel and stalked away.

"Anyway, Major," Roy continued as through they'd never been interrupted, "we suspect this is an inside job, so find out what you can."

Still shellshocked, Ed could only nod.

Riza groaned, rolling her shoulders and arching her back. She spent hours reading in the office that day, and had brought the folder home, determined to finish the last twenty pages. She had two pages of notes written down, but nothing extremely helpful. The records were a bust. She paused in thought. After her outburst in the office, she'd stormed out, brought back her papers, and let off over a dozen clips in the shooting range. When she came back, no one dared cross her. No one knew why she was mad, but everyone knew not to piss her off further.

Except for Havoc, she noted. He didn't say anything to her all day.

A knock on her apartment door brought her out of her thoughts, and she got up and padded barefoot to the door. "What the hell?"

The sight of Riza standing there with her hair pulled back, her reading glasses perched on her nose and casually dressed in pajamas made Jean Havoc smile involuntarily. She looked like a university student studying for exams, rather then a Military official.

"Hi," he said, offering her a toned-down version of the smile he'd struggled to hide.

"Havoc? What is it?" Her eyes searched for a clock. "It's nearly eleven!"

"I'm sorry," he said. Honestly? He had no idea why he was there. He'd gone for a couple drinks at the pub down the street from his dormitory, and somehow he'd ended up at her door. "I just needed to talk to you."

She opened the door to allow him inside. "What's wrong?"

Havoc couldn't contain it. "Did you sleep with the Colonel?"

Riza gasped and flushed. "Jean! I—"

"You did, didn't you?" he said bitterly.

"What business is it of yours?" snapped Riza. "We don't have a relationship."

Something inside Havoc cracked just then. Any sense of decorum, or what was right, drained right out of his body into his boots. He grabbed her shoulders hard and she could only look at him in shock.

"Damn it, Riza! You're not his!" he gave her a little shake. "I love you, Riza! You're mine, mine! When we're in bed sometimes I see you as…" he trailed off, a mix of passion and fear in his eyes

"As what?" she whispered, against her better judgment, She'd never seen him so passionate, or so angry.

"As someone…for me to come home to." He swallowed hard. Tears were pricking his eyes. Damn it, it wouldn't do to cry in front of her!

Riza was watching a struggle like she'd never seen. Havoc's hands were shaking on her shoulders and his eyes held too much emotion to read. He loosened his grip on her and Riza thought he was going to let her go. Instead, he grabbed her waist and kissed her.

Kissing Havoc was nothing new to Riza. They shared many intimate kisses, but none like this. Havoc's mouth was hot, wet, and demanding. His fingers dug into her hips, pressing her body tight against his. Riza felt him getting hard between their bodies. She made to pull away, but he just gripped her tighter.

"Riza, you're mine," he murmured to her, tongue trailing along her neck to her earlobe. She gasped at the sensations and he delicately began to suckle the lobe. Against herself, her arms went up to wrap around his shoulders and entwine in his hair.

Havoc's hands drifted down to fondle her body, caressing her breasts. She moaned softly against him, and instantly Havoc knew that no matter what he needed her out of those clothes.

Riza was floating. She didn't know what to think of any of this, but something in her would not deny him.

She clutched his shoulders as his hands frantically moved down her body, and for the second time in two days she wondered how she could possibly face the sunrise come next morning.

Author's Note:

Sorry it took so long, plus it's really short…I've been so absorbed in other things that this got put on the back burner. I didn't skip the night of passion, it's coming next chapter. I just wanted to post what I had since it's been forever.

So…read and review? I've had over a thousand hits but little feedback…give me something to work with, mmkay?


	6. Sex and Kittens

Chapter Title: Sex and Kittens   
Havoc's hands frantically traveled Riza's body. He needed to feel every inch of her, but these damn clothes were getting in the way. He also realized that it was probably a very bad idea to take her right in the open doorway of her apartment. He picked her up by the waist, lifting her off her feet and performing an awkward twirl that allowed him to fully enter her home. Despite herself, Riza giggled. "Are you laughing at me?" he demanded playfully. He lunged at her, tackling her to the couch. He spread his own body over hers, pinning her down. Havoc was also painfully aware of her body beneath his. Regardless of the layers of clothes between them, he could feel every dip and curve of her body. He was also painfully aware of something hot and demanding growing on his own body. Riza looked up at Havoc, both amused and nervous. This wasn't like all the other times.  
Havoc looked into her creamy eyes, and, unfortunately, misunderstood her nervousness. He kissed her sweetly, "I'll take care of you, I promise." Riza swallowed. That wasn't her problem. Havoc's fingers gently plucked open the buttons of her pajama top and allowed it to fall open. Riza flushed slightly at the exposure, but Havoc took no notice. He was methodical, in almost a zen-like state. He slipped his hand under her back and lifted her slightly, allowing him to remove the garment completely. He started in on her pants, which proved to be slightly trickier. He untied the bow and tugged them down her hips, scooping her legs up to slide them off. Riza's face was on fire. It's was all fine that he'd seen her naked before, but he'd never really looked closely, like he was doing now. He continued to gaze down at her, allowing his hands to cup her face and travel over her shoulders, down her breasts. He stroked her stomach, skin stretched taut across her narrow hips. Riza sighed involuntarily. Havoc sat there for several long moments, sitting between her slightly parted knees, just taking in the view. She was slim and pale-except for the adorable scarlet blush bleeding down from her face to her breasts. She watched him watch her, noting the expression of contentment on his face. He seemed so at peace. She reached up to tug on his jacket. Havoc smiled down at her, and leaned over to kiss her again. Riza responded hungrily, arching her hips slightly to allow her whole body to come in contact with his. She felt the bulge in his pants against the heat of her own body, and suddenly she was wildly ripping at his clothes, tearing his jacket from his shoulders and tugging futilely at the buttons on his shirt. He kissed her again, before pulling away to undo his own shirt. Finally it opened and hung unfastened against his chest. Riza shyly reached up to caress his stomach and chest, feeling his sharp intake of breath at she did so. She reached for his pants. She carefully undid the button, and slid the zipper down carefully. She tugged them down partially, revealing his shorts. Havoc groaned involuntarily, desperate to feel her but eager to see what she did. She gently stroked her nails across the tender skin at the waistband of his underwear and he shivered, pressing his hips against hers in frustration. She disengaged herself from his body and pulled his pants off all the way, followed by his underwear. Havoc was finally, delightedly, completely naked and against Riza. His fingers stroked the soft petals of her center, causing her to sigh and squirm against him. Havoc sat up, and positioned himself between her legs. It killed him to pull away from her body like that, but he had an idea.  
He spread her legs, giving him access and a view that made her blush again. He stroked her again, and reveled in her cries. He went in a little deeper, and found her pearl, nestled between her folds. Havoc felt as though he was feeling all of this for the first time. The slickness of her womanhood, the heat emanating from her body, the sweet scent of her sex, the music of her cries. Riza was dying the sweetest way imaginable. The feeling of his fingers between her thighs was incredible, and she could feel an unmistakable pressure building up inside her, taking root in her sex and flooding every pore of her body. Havoc felt her tighten slightly, and eagerly he continued to rub her. Her cries began to escalate, and he leaned over her body, hungry to see her as she peaked. I wonder if this is going to stain my couch? Riza thought briefly. Then she lost control. She came with such force her body jerked off the cushions, crying out so vehemently that Havoc feared a neighbor would soon be knocking on the door. He slowly withdrew his fingers, and slipped his arms around the shaking woman before him. She clung to him limply, trembling, breathing heavily into his neck. He drew her closer to him and she buried her face in his shoulder. He rubbed her back, calming her. She pulled back and looked up into his eyes with emotions that Havoc couldn't read. Riza had never felt anything like that before. Sure, she'd had orgasms during sex but this one was different. This one was more tender, sweeter, more-dare she say it?-loving.  
She shifted against his body, feeling his arousal nudging her from between his legs. She smirked at him, capturing it in her hand. Havoc blushed slightly. She caressed it between her hands, gauging his reaction. He breathed out heavily, eyes closing. That was all the permission she needed. She pulled him down towards her, positioning herself beneath him. She wanted him, desperately. She wanted him to fill her, to complete her, to feel him complete. Which is why she nearly reached for her pistol when he pulled away. "Not here," he murmured. He stood up, giving Riza an eyeful. She watched him walk towards the front door, lock it, and come back to the couch. He bent over slightly, and picked up her up in his arms. She allowed herself to be lifted, but wasn't prepared to be swung over his shoulder. She smacked at his back. This was a VERY undignified position to be in, with everything below the waist exposed. She wasn't completely sure he could see, but that was besides the point. Havoc ignored her ineffectual blows as he strode purposefully towards Riza's bedroom. He flicked on the lights. Havoc wickedly stood before the mirror in her room. "Well, look at this," he sang, using the hand not holding her up to caresss her buttocks. "Jean!" Riza cried in embarrassment. She craned her head to try and see behind her, but the angle was wrong. His hand wandered her behind to slip inside of her womanhood, but that did nohing but earn him a crack in the back of the head. "Ow!" Finally, Havoc laid her on the bed. He moved away from her to go turn out the lights but Riza caught his wrist. "Leave them on"  
He slid into the bed besides her. Riza kissed him gently, which knocked out all inhibitions. Havoc became enveloped in a kissing frenzy. At long last, Havoc found himself on top of her, his own arousal nestled against her heat. Riza's cinnamon eyes gazed longingly into cerulean ones, and this was all the permission Havoc needed. He pressed against her, and she spread her legs wider to allow him entry. He slipped inside her in one swift movement, and Riza cried out at the sudden displacement between her legs, a combination of discomfort and pleasure. She gripped at whatever she could..his hair, hjs shoulders, his back. Jean hissed in pleasure as he felt her nails dig into his flesh. His movements became more erratic, and he felt himself coming close to released. He wasn't going to come without her though. He started moving faster, harder, hearing Riza's cries mingled with his own. He felt Riza tighten around his cock, and he knew she was there. He allowed himself to come, and then fell, panting against her. Riza felt him pull out from between her legs, and he wrapped his arms around her, pulling her close. She snuggled against him, and he kissed her hair. "You know," she mumbled sleepily, "this is the second night I didn't get my work done"  
Havoc laughed dryly. He could have done without that reminder that Riza, that his Riza, had slept with the Colonel. Riza was about to fall asleep when Havoc looked down at her with a face full of seriousness and asked her the one question she'd dreaded. "Where do we go from here"  
Bright and early, Ed stormed out of the dorms towards headquarters, for his second meeting with Mustang.. Information gathering? Not his department! Shouldn't that be up to Investigations? In his pocket he toyed with his watch. An alchemist?  
Unfortunately, he wasn't paying attention and smacked directly into Al, who stood near the dorms like a sentry. At the same time, on top of the sounds of metal, hitting metal, Ed heard a distinct "mew!" "Ow!" he cried, rubbing his flesh arm. "Sorry, Brother," Al said apologetically. His hands moved to his stomach cavity, and Ed's suspicions grew. "What's that you have in there?" Ed demanded. He reached out to knock on his brother's chest, but Al backed away. "Brother! Don't you have any respect for privacy?" He cried shrilly. Ed stared, bewildered. "Al, you're a suit of armor. You have no private parts...at least I don't think so." He shook his head to rid himself of those mental images. "Anyway, I know you have another cat in there"  
"Please! Let me keep it!" Alphonse pleaded. He tugged on his chest plate to reveal the ginger kitten nestled there. He delicately lifted it out with more care then Ed usually saw. He also saw a rust-colored mat of blood on the animal's hindquater. "He's hurt!" Al cired, with tears in his voice. "If I leave it something will attack it, or worse"  
It was kind of cute, Ed had to admit. He started to reach out to pet it, but stopped himself. All he needed to do was show affection to it and Al would really keep it. He sighed heavily. "I'm sorry it's hurt, Al." He searched for a solution that would pacify his brother, and get the cat off his hands. "Here," he suggested. "We'll take up to to Fuery. He's good with animals, and he can clean it up a little, all right"

Riza strode across the lobby to the lifts upstairs, leaving Havoc smoking his third cigarette of the day up front. "Hey, wait!" Riza turned to find Havoc darting across the room to join her. "The least you can do is hold the lift for me." Riza regarded him with curiousity. "Will do, Second Lieutenant"  
As the lift doors shut behind them, Riza felt his hand on her waist, pulling her towards him. "Jean!" she hissed. He caught her wrists and smirked at her. "We have time for a quick kiss, we still have four floors." With that, he pulled her close and captured her mouth on his. They quite forgot they only had four floors to go. When at last the bell went off, the doors slid open to reveal Jean holding Riza against the wall, his lips on hers in a kiss that was more then passionate. Unfortunately for both of them, they had an audience. They jerked apart when the shadow of Colonel Roy Mustang filled the small lift. Both of them paled considerably and they offered weak salutes. Roy was filled with such a rage it took all his self control not to lose his temper. He was this close to turning Havoc into a pile of ash on the floor.  
Instead he did what he did best. He gave orders. "Lieutenant Hawkeye, I need you in my office. Now. The Major is coming for a conference with me regarding his orders from yesterday." Riza swallowed. "Yes, Sir"  
"Second Lieutenant Havoc." Roy paused. He needed Havoc out of his sight. Now. "You will be going over to Investigations to obtain files that Private Sciezka may have gathered. She had my orders." "Yes, sir"  
Roy pushed past both of them towards the lift, the door shutting besides him. Riza and Havoc walked to their respective places, despite the barrage of questions, comments, and congratulations issued by their compatriots. For a brief moment, Havoc allowed his eyes to linger on hers and they knew they both shared the feeling that the world had come to an end. 


	7. Sunset Dreams

Author's Notes: Thank you so much for your support, everyone! RADCAT: For the most part, this fic is writing itself. I don't know who Riza is going to wind up with, but Ed is going to learn a very important lesson! Keep reading to find out, I'm going to try and turn out a chapter a week.  
Any input on who should be the victorious couple, VOTE NOW! - I mean...let me know what you think.   
Chapter 7:  
Sunset Dreams   
"Hey, Fuery!" Ed swung open the door with a bang. And then stopped dead in his tracks. While the ambiance in Headquarters was never especially celebratory, there was usually an air of joviality, or at the very least, it was pleasant. Today, a blanket of darkness covered the office, giving the whole place a funeral atmosphere. Even Breda, who usually attempted some sort of humor, was silent as he flipped through the papers on his desk. He looked up briefly to shake his head at Ed, a silent warning. Quiet, Ed walked over to Fuery's desk, remembering the task at hand. The older man looked up, offering a weak smile. "What is it?" Ed offered Fuery the small ginger kitten, and heard him gasp. "Oh, the poor thing! Give him here!" He carefully took the kitten into his small hands, turning it this way and that. "Here," Fuery said after a minute. He dug into his pocket and pulled out a clean handkerchief. "Take this and the water glass on the desk and go into the lavatory. Fill the glass with warm water and dampen the handkerchief, will you? I want to clean the cut." "Will do!" Ed said cheerfully, collecting said items. Behind him, the bell from the lift sounded again, causing everyone in the office to stare directly down at their desks under the premise of being hard at work. When Roy strode out of the elevator, the only noise in the whole room was the sound of his boots on the wooden floor. He stormed through the room, and then stopped at the door to his office. He turned suddenly, and barked at Ed, "You're late!" "Actually, I got here ten minutes ago. I think you're the late one, Colonel." Besides Ed, Fuery cringed in sympathy.  
"Get your goddamn ass in my office, Major," Roy all but hissed, and then slammed the door behind them both.   
In the office, Riza sat on her usual sofa, pad of paper open on her knees. She smiled weakly at Ed as he passed her and flopped down on a couch across from her.  
"First off," Ed said loudly, "I want to know who died"  
"No one died, Fullmetal," Roy said abruptly. "Then why the dark cloud over the whole office?" he exploded. He turned to Riza imploringly. "You look white as a ghost"  
Riza ducked her head towards her paper again, mentally pleading with Roy to find an excuse. Instead, Roy turned the spotlight on her. "I don't know. Lie 


	8. Black Sun Rising

Author's Note: I don't remember which review said something about a three-way pairing, but I'll tell you now that ultimately a decision will be made. And I assure you that Miss Hawkeye will NOT end up alone. I appreciate all feedback!  
And for all Death Note fans, check out my other WIP, Neurosis! Summary: A spoiled evening and a drunken commander.

Chapter 8:  
A Trivial Pursuit   
"Wow, really?" Winry twisted the telephone cord around her fingers. She leaned back against the kitchen wall, her long blonde hair held back by a cotton bandana. Ed sighed. "Yeah." He fumbled with the receiver in his hand. "I can't believe it either." He'd just finished telling her the story of Hawkeye and Mustang, and the scene in the office a week ago. Truthfully, after the incident, headquarters was a mess. Riza was never at her desk, either down in the shooting range, in the Library, anywhere but the main office. She dropped her papers on Roy's desk when he wasn't there. And the rumors in the office said that when Roy wasn't terrorizing his subordinates, he was drinking himself into a steady oblivion. "How did Lieutenant Havoc take it?" Winry asked. "You know, I'm not sure," he said. He bit his lip thoughtfully. "I think he just keeps his head down and does what he has to." Ed heard a clicking on the line, a sign that his time was nearly up. "I have to go, Winry. I'll call you soon, okay"  
"All right," he heard her sigh. "Edward...when will you be coming home?" There was a shred of hope in her voice. "I don't know," he answered honestly. "Oh"

The protection over her ears muffled the sound of her gunshots, but thankfully she could still hear the loud crack of her gun as she released clip after clip. Some of her shots went rogue, but most of them hit her target in the head. Riza blinked. She shuffled through her box of rounds looking for a full one and came up short. The headset fell from her ears as she ducked her head, digging. How could she be out of clips?  
"Three hundred and seventy six shots," a voice said loudly behind her. She jumped at the sound. Jean Havoc languished over the barricade, separating her alley from the rest of the room. "God, Riza, aren't your shoulders killing you"  
"No," she lied staunchly. Truthfully, her back and shoulders were screaming in pain, but they were nothing that a long, hot bath couldn't cure. "What the hell are you doing here, Jean?" "I came to take you home. It's long past six," he said to her. Six? It had been only three when she came down. "We shouldn't be seen together," Riza said, gathering her things, wincing as she shrugged her jacket on. Havoc looked at her. "Why? What's done is done, isn't it?" His mouth twisted. Why was she making this harder?  
"We don't have to make it worse," she mumbled, but she followed him anyway. Together, they walked towards her apartment in silence, and at her door she allowed him entry. Purposefully he strode in ahead of her, throwing his own jacket carelessly on the couch. "Where the hell are you going?" she called. She followed him towards the bathroom, where he knelt down besides the tub, fiddling with the taps. "I'm running you a bath," he said shortly. He felt her hand on his shoulder and instantly relaxed. "Thank you," she said honestly. He flashed her a smile. "So you go into the bedroom and get naked and I'll come get you when it's ready." His eyes glittered. She smirked. "Sure"  
Five minutes later, Riza was greeted by the sight of Havoc in only his boxer shorts, damp and covered in bubbles. With her hand, she stifled her laugh. "I thought I was the one taking the bath," she teased, tightening the sash of her bathrobe.  
"You were but I went to add bubbles and I dropped the bottle and when I went to get it out it spilled everywhere," he complained. "And what are you doing in a bathrobe?" She turned to walk away and smiled over her shoulder at him. "It's cold in here"  
Finally she allowed her robe to drop and sank into the steamy water. She breathed deeply, the feeling of relaxation finally washing over her. Havoc dropped to his knees, sitting besides her. "Thank you," she murmured. edge. Riza's head nestled against his thighs. He gave himself the pleasure of stroking her hair, still bound up, as she drifted in and out of sleep. His fingers itched to tug out the clip keeping her hair so nearly coiled. His hands drifted towards that, and was surprised when her hands suddenly clamped on his wrist. Her cinnamon eyes were suddenly wide awake. "Leave my hair, I don't want to get it wet," she explained. He relented. Havoc's hand dropped back to her head, and soon he found himself stroking her wet shoulders. She mumbled her appreciation, snuggling her head deeper into his lap. He swallowed, his throat dry. She was dangerously close to something dangerously volatile, and it may have just been his imagination, but he could feel her very breath on him, beneath his clothes.  
Havoc closed his eyes in bliss.  
Only to be shocked back into reality when he felt something warm nudging the bulge in his shorts. His eyes shot open to reveal a highly amused Riza, nuzzling him with her nose. "God, Riza..." he breathed. Naturally, in accordance with all rules of science, Riza's doorbell rang. "Son of a bitch!" Havoc swore loudly, throwing his head back and thwacking it violently on the wall behind him. "Ow"  
Riza rolled her eyes as she pulled herself out of the cooling water. "I'll get it." She pulled on her robe and padded down the hall. Havoc heard her walk down the hallway and slowly pulled himself up as well. He also heard her shout of anger. "What the hell are you doing here!" He barreled down the hallway, into the entryway, only to find a drunk Mustang leaning heavily on the doorframe. "Riza, Riza," he mumbled, barely coherent. "I'm sorry, Riza." He moved forward, reaching for her, but she stepped back. He lost his balance and fell to his knees on the wooden floor, looking up at her forlornly.  
"What do you want?" she asked coldly. Part of her, however, wanted to kneel down beside him. Care for him. And truthfully, she confessed to herself, she probably would have, if Havoc hadn't been two paces behind her.  
"I'm sorry," he said again. Then he saw Havoc. "Jean!" he practically sang. "My right-hand man, my loyal sub-sub-sub-" He struggled with the word and eventually gave up. "My friend!" "You're drunk," he said icily. "And you're leaving." He reached down to grab the older man by his forearm and haul him up. However, to his surprise and consternation, Riza stopped him. "Don't throw him out," Riza said quietly. "What? Why!" Havoc practically shouted at her. "This bastard!" "Where will he go?" she asked. "He'll hurt himself." She knelt down besides the prostrate man on the floor, one hand on his back. All at once, Havoc was filled with such a quiet, intense rage. "You love him." "What? Havoc, stop talking nonsense. Just help me"  
"Do you?" Roy piped up from the floor. "Do you love me, Riza?" "Both of you shut up!" Riza cried. Her fingers itched for a pistol. Havoc stood there, seething. "What we're going to do is put Roy in the extra room," she said steadily. "And then you and I will go to bed and forget all of this nonsense." Havoc mumbled an assent. "Now, help me get up up"  
Riza grasped Roy firmly by the forearm, puling him to his feet with Jean on his other side. Roy stumbled to his feet and grabbed wildly for Riza. He reached for her arms, falling and tugging down the shoulder of her robe, revealing her pale shoulder. Roy longed to bury his face in that flesh, that warm, pale flesh that blended so beautifully with his white cotton bedsheets. Never mind her boyfriend held him in a death grip, never mind he'd cruelly hurt her so. "Riza, I'm sorry," he cried again, his voice thick. He groped blindly for her wrists, holding her hand tenderly. The bruises had faded into a yellowish blotch on her skin, nearly gone. He anxiously kissed the injury, pleading with her. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry"  
"Shh, I know," she soothed him, despite the look of rage Havoc was giving her behind the other man's back. "Come on"  
Finally, after fifteen minutes of tedious, hazardous movement, Riza carefully laid Roy in her guest bed. She moved to undress him, stripping him of his jacket and boots, hesitating at the zipper of his pants before removing them, too. Havoc stood back and watched this ordeal with a mix of jealousy and anger. Finally, Riza turned to leave. But Roy's voice came from behind her. "Stay, please." His voice was heavy and sleep-laden. Riza stood, rooted to the spot. Unfortunately, Havoc noted her indecision. "Stay," he said sourly. Riza looked pained. "I'll be along in fifteen minutes," she promised.  
"Yeah, right." Havoc shut the door behind him. He retreated to Riza's bedroom, setting himself on the bed. In the other room, Riza was doing the same thing. She sat awkwardly besides Roy, settling down on the bed. Roy's black eyes looked up at her mournfully. "I didn't mean to hurt you." "I know you didn't," she said softly. "Why didn't you tell me about Havoc?" Roy shifted sleepily. The drunkenness was wearing off and now he was getting tired. Riza sighed. "I didn't know how you would take it"  
Besides her, Roy chuckled. "See how well that turned out"  
"Shut up and go to sleep." Riza gasped as Roy suddenly scooted closer to her and laid his head on her chest. He could smell the sweetness of her skin, and the softness of her breast, and he sighed at the luxury.He mumbled something incoherent, and she felt his body relax as he drifted to sleep. Riza felt his breath on her exposed flesh, the weight of his body. She allowed herself to tangle her hands in his thick black hair, stroking it for a moment before she too allowed herself the refuge of sleep.

Havoc awoke with a start. He rubbed sleep out of his eyes before glancing at the clock on the bedside. It had been hours since he'd left Riza with the Colonel. He quietly stole from Riza's bedroom to the guest room down the hall. He opened the door gently, and peeked inside. The sight inside didn't surprise him: Riza against the wall, asleep, her arms tightly around Roy, who had his face nestled against her breasts. However, it did nothing to ease the heaviness that had settled in his heart. With the same stealth, he went back to the bedroom and pulled on his clothes. And with a last, long look at the door that hid Riza and the Colonel, Jean Havoc left, shutting the door of Riza's apartment firmly behind him. 


	9. Rush

  
Chapter 9: Rush   
Riza woke in the arms of her Colonel. Now, that's not to say that wasn't a nice place to wake up. Just unexpected. It also wasn't the place she remembered falling asleep in. Her survival instincts kicked in, and she woke without fully opening her eyes. Riza felt hands gently petting her long hair, and the feel of a body supporting her. She vaguely remembered a bath, Havoc, and a doorbell ringing.  
Shit. Havoc. Judging by the light streaming in the window, it was morning, and he must have left hours ago. She shifted slightly in her position, getting a grip on her surroundings. After a moment, she fully opened her eyes and found inky black pools looking back at her. "Hi," he said softly. Riza found herself upright in his arms, her legs over his thighs and his arm around her back, holding her against his chest almost as one would hold a child. Her long hair was down and her robe was tucked neatly around her, and she suspected it was his handiwork. "I woke up in the night and moved you around," he remarked after a moment. "You seemed uncomfortable against the wall and it was my turn to hold you." He leaned down and brushed his lips over hers, murmuring. "You look so beautiful when you sleep"  
At the touch of his lips, Riza froze. Dear God, why couldn't he just quit? But part of her was leaning towards him, begging her to kiss him.  
"Stop," she said, quietly but firmly as she pulled away. "You know this isn't right"  
Roy allowed his head to fall back, holding her tighter against him. "I know, Riza! I know, I know!" His voice turned helpful. "Leave Havoc, come back to me. You could if you wanted to. You could come with me, move in with me, live with me, leave the Military and marry me "  
At once, Riza pushed him away. Hard. "How dare you insinuate such things!" she hissed angrily "What makes you think I want to marry you? Marry anyone? And leave the Military! I've worked for years to get where I am now"  
"And you could marry the Fuhrer and make it all worthwhile! The First Lady of Amestris," he interrupted.  
"It's treason to say such things, Colonel," she said stiffly, accentuating the title. "It'll happen in time," he promised fervently. And for a split second, she believed him. But then she came to her senses. She shook her head violently, physically removed his hands from her, and rose from her bed, stretching. He watched her with amusement, loving the way her robe clung to her small frame, and the perfect curve of her ass.  
All at one, Roy leaped from the bed like a man revived, and in two seconds was across the room. Riza gasped in surprise as he wrapped his arms tightly around her waist. He held her to him, her back pressed against his chest tightly. "Please, Riza," he whispered into her ear, warm and soft, and she felt herself weaken at the sensation. "Tell me you love me"  
"I-" she began and then stopped. "No, Roy"  
"But you do!" he insisted, still whispering. His hands wandered to the knot on her robe and untied it, murmuring to her all the while. "You do, you know you do." Riza inhaled sharply as she felt his hands on her bare skin. He caressed the tight plane of her stomach, the curve of satin hips, before moving one hand up to stroke the soft skin beneath her breasts, while the other moved lower on her torso. She cried out as he touched her, and the combination of his soft caresses and his voice in her ear. His finger slipped between her legs, and against her conscious will she spread her legs slightly to allow greater access. His whispering became more passionate as he fervently told her how beautiful she was. Roy was in heaven after a long stretch of hell. She was back against him, where she belonged. His was his touch, it was him making her cry out like that, not Havoc! He was loath to admit it, but her preferring Havoc to him was more a sting to his ego then anything else, but she was coming around.  
And coming she was. His hand moving so deftly between her thighs was doing things she could barely articulate and before she knew what she was doing, she'd reached her peak. Riza let out a loud, long cry like a woman possessed, and collapsed backwards against Roy, shaking. Her body trembled in spasms, and she turned to face him, pressing her face into his collar as she slumped weakly. Roy held her, supporting her. He kissed her hair feverishly, his hands wandering her body like they had minds of their own.  
Once she'd finally come around, Roy lifted her chin to look into her eyes. They were clear and sparkling and bottomless and a place he could lose himself for hours. Instead he kissed her softly. "C'mon," he said wickedly. "We have work in an hour"  
And he didn't even wince when she hit him in the shoulder.   
It was another peculiar day, no one could deny it. When Riza entered quietly, a half hour late, and made straight for her desk, no one thought to question it. But when Roy entered at her heels, jovial, with the fresh aura of victory, well, even Fuery could do the math. Roy sauntered into his office with a bright "Good morning!" and Riza anxiously sat down, unpacked her satchel, and dug into the mound of papers she procured. Havoc had watched the scene bleakly. What had they been fighting for? If Riza was going to give up and go back to the Colonel, why had they tried so hard?  
Poor Havoc, Breda had an idea to take him out that night with the rest of the men, for drinks. The other man certainly looked like he could use it. When he stopped by Havoc's desk to throw out the suggestion, Havoc had begun to refuse but then stopped.  
"Yeah, sure," he said absently. An unlit cigarette dangled from his lips, and his eyes were empty. "Good man," Breda said brightly, cuffing him on the shoulder. Meanwhile, Riza was fighting with herself. The day was less then a quarter over and she was feeling violently ill. Her head was reeling, her stomach was in an upset, and an untouched stack of papers prevented her from leaving. She'd started to feel sick on the way to work, but wouldn't allow herself to stop. Roy poked his head out of his office door. "Lieutenant, I'll need you in here, I'm expecting Major Elric," he practically sang. Instantly, everyone focused on their own papers, not trusting themselves to look anywhere else. "Yes, sir," she managed to say. She stood up, but as soon as she was erect she felt the sensation of falling. There was a darkness rushing towards her, and with a sigh of relief, she succumbed to it before she hit the floor.

Author's Note: Hmm...I'm sure you all know what happens next...right? 


	10. Sweet Dreams

Riza was dreaming. She felt the sensation of hands on her forehead, brushing her hair back, and the weightlessness of being lifted - but none of it was real, was it? The scent of something singed filled her nostrils, a delicate smoky aroma mixed with a scent she knew but couldn't place...what was it? A cologne, but whose?

She breathed in more deeply, allowing her lungs to expand and absorb the smell. Suddenly, realization broke over her. The sweet smoke, the musky cologne - it was Roy! Riza languished in the scent, breaking it apart: the burned-paper, the woodsy notes of the cologne, and the smell of salt and cognac that Riza realized was his skin. Why hadn't she noticed the scent of his skin before?

"Her heart rate is increasing!" A voice called from a distance. Who was talking about her? Were there doctors for dreams?

Riza began to feel hands on her body (Roy's?) and she allowed herself the privilege of being handled. Hands stripped off her shoes, her blazer, and fumbled with the belt on her pants before peeling those off too. She felt exposed, but she didn't mind. She entertained herself by trying to recall which particular pair of panties she'd worn that day.

From a million miles away, Riza heard a flick. "Get that the hell out of here!" a new voice snapped angrily. The scent of burning tobacco flooded her senses, and she tensed. Havoc? Was he in her dream too?

Something cold wetted her arm, a new scent - astringent and harsh. She'd almost deduced that it was rubbing alcohol when she felt a pinprick jab into her arm.

It was then that Riza allowed herself to open her eyes. She squinted at the harshness of the lights, craving the darkness of her dream. A blinding wall of white stood over her, and with a start she realized it was a nurse.

The nurse had just opened her mouth to speak when she was roughly pushed aside. Roy took her place, hovering over Riza anxiously. Riza focused on his face, which had gone from joyful to dark in a matter of hours. The line between his eyes had deepened and he surveyed her with concern. Suddenly, his features shifted. "You gave the boys a scare, sweetheart." He brushed her hair from her face. "Overworking yourself, no doubt."

She struggled to push herself up onto her elbows and sit up in bed. Someone had tucked a white bedsheet around her to preserve her modesty, no doubt. Roy grabbed her upper arm to help her sit up, and she was suddenly infuriated. How dare he treat her like an invalid?

"I'm fine, sir." Riza delicately accentuated the last word. She surveyed the room - just a cot in the infirmary, separated by thin curtain walls. Havoc stood just outside the door to the room, his face engulfed in a cloud of smoke. Her rage built. He couldn't even stop smoking in a hospital?

Riza struggled to stand. She wanted to find her clothes, get dressed, and go unload a few rounds in the range to burn off this anger.

Roy gently pushed her back into bed. "You're not going anywhere until the doctor sees you."

"The hell I am!" Riza snapped. She shoved him forcefully off of her. Roy reeled back into the wall.

"What's gotten into you?" Roy cried, his voice raised.

A soft cough from the doorway prevented Riza from answering. Havoc stood in the doorway. an unlit cigarette tucked behind his ear. "If you're feeling better, I'll be going back up to the office." He averted his eyes as Riza surveyed him.

Her body was beautiful. Her black panties clung to her hips, and he ached to touch that strip of skin between the waist of her panties and the bottom hem of her t-shirt. He struggled not to look at her.

Riza's heart broke at the defeat in his voice. Dear God, what had she done to him?


End file.
